Landing gear for toy airplanes



, y 1946- H. E. SHAEFFER I LANDING GEAR FOR TOY AIRPLANES Filed Jan. 6, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 "(fey 1 fkaeffer July 2, 1946. H. E. SHAEFFER LANDING GEAR FOR TOY AiRPLANES K Filed Jan. 6, 1945 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 2, 1946 LANDING GEAR FOR Tor AIRPLANEs Harvey E. Shaeffer, Chicago, "111 assignor'to Arvey Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a;corporatlon of Illinois Application January 6, 1945; S1erialNo. 571,557

70mins. (01-46 16) This invention relates to toy airplanes and is more particularly concerned with improvements in landing gear for same.

This invention contemplates the provision of a landing gear for top airplanes which is simple and inexpensive in construction and which may be manufactured and sold as a kit of parts in unassembled relation for assembly by boys, or others, interested in building modelairplanes.

Briefly, this invention comprises a landing gear which may readily be assembled for attachment to the wing structure of a model airplane, and embodies a pair of sleeves having Wheel supporting members telescopically engaged therein for yieldably resistingmovement during landing of the .plane.

This invention embodies other novel features, details of construction and arrangement of parts which are hereinafter set forth in the specification and claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view showing a model airplane equipped with a landing gear embodying features of this invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken along the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 2 showing a modified form of this invention.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 66 of Fig. 5.

Referring now to the drawings for a better understanding of this invention and more particularly to Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive therein, the improved landing gear for toy airplanes is shown as comprising two similar units-4 and 5 each of which embody a sleeve 6 formed of paper or cardboard tubing and adapted to receive a wheel mounting shaft I. The shafts l are preferably formed of wood and of a suitable diameter for telescopic sliding engagement with the inner wall of their respective sleeves 6. Each shaft 1 is engaged to its respective sleeve 6 by means of a piece of resilient wire 8, one end of which is offset laterally at 9 for engagement in apertures I 0 formed in the sleeve and thence bent at H for engagement with the outer side of the sleeve. The other end of the wire is bent laterally at |2 to extend through an aperture I 3 formed in the lower end of the shaft 1 and extends beyond same to provide a journal portion for a wheelv l4 which is held against axial displacement therefrom by means of a washer I5 and a peened head 16. That portion of the wire S'intermediate its ends is disposed rearwardly to.provide a pair of. arms I 1 and I8 arranged at substantially right angles to each other and terminating at a'loop portion IS. The upper ends of'the sleeves 6 are adapted to beglued, or otherwise secured, to the Wing structure 2| of a toy plane 22, although it is contemplated that the units] and 5 forming landing gear may be arranged otherwise than as shown in'Fig's. 1 'and 2 in the drawings for -attachmentto other portions of a plane. v

In the operation of the landing gearthus shown and described, a force applied against the lower portions of the wheels 14 acts to movethe shafts 1 axially into their respective sleeves 6 against theyieldable resistance offered by the arms I? and N3 of the wire members 8, and it will be noted that the wire members 8 also serve to maintain the wheels of the landing gear in parallel alignment during telescopic movement,

landing gear unit embodying features of this in-.

vention in which a spring member 24 is helically wound at 26 around the sleeve 6 and having its lower end extending downwardly at 21 parallel with the wheel mounting shaft 1 and offset at 28 to extend through an aperture 29 provided in the lower end of the shaft 1. The offset portion 29 is of sufiicient length to provide a journal for the wheel I 4 which is secured against axial displacement therefrom in the manner heretofore described in connection with Figs. 1 to 4; The upper end of the spring member 24 is secured to the sleeve 6 by means of a pin 30 extending transversely through the sleeve 6 between the upper convolutions of the helical portion 26. In

this form of the invention, it will be observed that the helical portion 26 of the spring member 24 serves to yieldably resist telescopic movement of the shaft 1 relative to its sleeve 6. e

In several of the forms of this invention, it will be noted that the several parts may be inexpensively formed of cardboard, wood and the like, and readily assembled with a piece of spring wire to form a landing gear unit inwhich the wheel mounting shaft is yieldably resistant into its mounting While the landing gear has been shown and described as comprising an assembled structure, it is contemplated that the several parts thereof may be manufactured and sold in the form of a kit for assembly by model makers and others.

' ing from the spirit and scope of the claimed invention.

I I claim as my invention:

1. Ina model'airplane, a wing structure having transverse ribs, a pair of tubular sleeveshaving their upper ends secured to said transverse ribs, wheel supporting members telescopically mounted in said sleeves, wheels journaled on said supporting members, and resilient wire means for yieldably resisting axlalandro'ta'tional move-- ment of said wheel supporting members relative V to their respective sleeves, one end of each resilient wire means serving as a journal fora wheel.

2. A landing gear for model airplanes compris- I ing a pair of tubular sleeves, wheel supporting member telescopically mounted in said sleeves, wheels journaled on said supporting members, and resilient wire means for yieldably resisting axial and rotational movement of said wheel support- 4. In a device of the character described, a pair of ,members disposed'for relative telescopic move ment, a wheel journaled on one of said members, resilient wire means for yieldably resisting relative axial and rotationalmovement of said members, one end of each resilient wire means serving as a journal for a wheel.

5; In a device of the character described, a sleeve, a wheel, a wheel supporting shaft for axial movement within said sleeve, and resilient Wire means for yieldably resisting axial and rotaing members relative to their respective sleeves, I

one end of each resilient wiremeans serving as a journal fora wheel. j i

'3. A landing gearkit for model airplanes comprising a pair of tubular sleeves, wheel supporting members for telescopic mounting in said sleeves,

wheels for journaled engagement on said supportinglmembers, and resilient wire means for yield ably resisting axialor rotational movement of said wheel supporting members relative to their respective sleeves, one end of "each resilient wire means serving as a journal for a wheel,

tional movement of said shaft with respect to said sleeve, one end of each resilient wire means serving as a journal fora wheel.

' 6. In a device of the character described, a sleeve, a wheel, a wheel supporting shaft for axial movement within said sleeve, and a V-shaped resilient wire for yieldably resisting axial and rotational movement of said shaft with respect to said sleeve, said resilient wire having its ends formed for engagement with said sleeve and shaft, one end'of said resilient wire serving, as a journal for said wheel, and the other end of said wire serving as a stop't'o limit'invvard movement of said shaft.

7 '7. In a device of the character described, a

. sleeve, a wheel, a wheel supporting shaftfor axial movement within said sleeve, and resilient wire means for yieldably resisting axial and rotational movement of said shaft with respect to said sleeve, said resilient wire means comprising a helical compression spring having its ends connected to said sleeve and shaft, one end of said wire means serving as a journal for said 'vvheel.

HARVEY E. SHAEFFER. 

